Deliveries and service/repair visits frequently require a homeowner or building manager/supervisor (for simplicity, hereinafter referred to as a homeowner) to be present at the home or building. In many instances, the homeowner is merely required to open the door for the delivery and/or acknowledge the presence of the service personnel. Often, deliveries and service visits can only be scheduled during weekdays (i.e., normal business days), thus requiring homeowners to be physically present at the building. Homeowners must disrupt their usual schedule or neglect other things that need attention outside the home in order to wait at home for a delivery. This causes an increase in frustration and inconvenience of the homeowner as well as a decrease in worker productivity.
Various building security measures and entrance security devices are known. However, none adequately addresses the need for a homeowner to be physically present without unacceptably compromising the security of the home. For example, some homes/buildings are equipped with a keypad lock such that anyone that knows the correct combination can gain entry. Alternatively, some locks have a master key that allows entry into multiple homes. However, these security measures still require third-parties to be granted unfettered access to the entire building and risk the dissemination of the pass-code combination or copies of the master key to parties without authorization for entry. Alternative security systems include the use of security cameras and/or intercom systems. However, such existing solutions also require a user to be present at the home or building to interact with the security devices.
Additionally, security alarms can be operated with a timer to deactivate alarms during certain times. A user may be able to schedule deactivation of the alarm for the window during which the delivery or repair service is scheduled to arrive. Thus, a homeowner is not required to be present for the visitor. However, in accordance with this solution, the alarm is deactivate for all visitors for the scheduled time and thus creates an unacceptable risk.